HAMLET, a substance found in breast milk can kill 40 different types of cancer cells, a new research has claimed.

The “Human Alpha–lactalbumin Made Lethal to Tumour” cells (HAMLET) was discovered in breast milk several years ago, but it hadn’t been tested on humans.

Researchers at Lund University and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who have tested it on humans, found that when treated with the substance, the patients with bladder cancer excreted dead cancer cells in their urine.

The test has given rise to hopes that it can be developed into medication for cancer care in the future because HAMLET kills only cancer cells.

The researchers are focusing on how HAMLET can be taken up into tumour cells by getting an in–depth understanding of how the substance interacts with cell membranes.

HAMLET was discovered by chance when researchers were studying the antibacterial properties of breast milk. Further studies showed that it comprises a protein and a fatty acid that are both found naturally in breast milk.

So far, however, it has not been proven that the HAMLET complex is spontaneously formed in the milk. It is speculated, however, that it can form in the acidic environment of the babies’ stomach. They also point out that neither the protein nor the fatty acid in HAMLET could destroy cancer cells independently, suggesting that they work together to destroy the tumor cells.

Laboratory experiments have seemingly exhibited that HAMLET destroys around 40 diverse kinds of cancer. Notably, it was seen that HAMLET destroys only cancer cells and does not appear to affect fit cells.

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